A Different Love Story
by Merilar
Summary: She looked into his eyes, these wonderful eyes. Ice blue, grey, and so deep that she could drown in them. 'Don't think like that Katniss' she said to herself. "I can't do this Cato, I'm sorry", she said and turned around. She never looked back, she wanted to fight on her own and win. He was just a boy. As the elevator doors closed behind her, Cato still stood there, unable to move.
1. Prologue

They had known that only one of them could win, but they weren't able to stay away from each other. The odds were never in their favor. Katniss, the poor girl from District 12 and Cato the career tribute from District 2. Two people that couldn't be more different. When she had seen him for the first time, she had already had a weird feeling, she hadn't known what to think of it. She couldn't look away, neither could he. He had been stunned when he had seen her for the first time, the deep, strong grey of her eyes and the fire that had been burning around her. "What's up girl on fire", he had said. "Isn't it a little hot with all the fire." "No", she had simply answered and had looked into his ice blue eyes. "I'm fine but that golden thing that you're wearing doesn't look comfortable." She hadn't known before that she could have such a simple conversation with someone she didn't even know, but that boy, he had already changed her. He had changed her feelings and the way she acted. It scared her, he scared her.


	2. Chapter One - 24 Paper Slips

The girl walked through the woods, the bow in her right hand, the quiver with the arrows hung over her shoulder. She didn't make a sound, she was a good hunter. She placed her feet carefully, every step was planned as she made her way quietly through the woods. She was hunting for her family. Her father wasn't there anymore, after the mining accident, he couldn't take care of them. It was her job to feed the family now. Her head spun around when she heard a sound in the woods. Something or someone was there, twenty feet away from her. She put an arrow into her bow and hid behind a tree. She heard something breathing, and coming toward her. When the creature was right around the tree she stepped out with her arrow ready until she recognized the familiar face.

"Catnip", the person whispered. She knew immediately that it was Gale, before she even focused on the person's face. He was her best friend and hunting partner. Yesterday he had said he would meet her at the fence at sunrise, but when she got there in the morning she couldn't find him anywhere. She didn't like to wait, so she went ahead, she had known that he would find her. He was a better hunter than she was, when she first started hunting he already knew the woods better than anyone else.

"You scared me Gale, I thought you were a peacekeeper!" She lowered the bow and walked towards him.

"The peacekeepers won't go into the woods today, Catnip, it's Reaping Day, they have enough to do." He turned around and started walking to their place in the woods. They didn't need to communicate through words, they were hunting partners. She knew exactly where he was headed so she followed him without making any sound. After twenty minutes they arrived at their place. It was a small hill from where you could see everything surrounding, but it was also well hidden by surrounded trees and bushes. Small green flowers grew in patches within the grass and the subtle sound of crickets filled the air. Katniss loved this place, the simple beauty astounded her every time.

Both sat down and for a few minutes Katniss just stared into the woods, observed the mountains around them. She always made sure that they were completely alone, hunting in the woods was strictly forbidden. When she was with Gale she felt comfortable and free. Sometimes they didn't talk for what felt like an eternity but the silences they had were not awkward, they were comfortable. Katniss had one or two friends in school, but Gale was special, they shared something no one else shared with them. They had to care for their families by hunting and gathering food in the woods. Katniss learned a lot from her father before he died, but Gale had to learn it on his own.

"How many times is your name in the bowl today?" Katniss turned to face Gale. It was his last year but he probably put his name in there a lot of times.

"42" he said and turned away. He knew his chances to get reaped were high this year. "I guess the odds aren't exactly in my favor." Katniss wanted to say something positive but she couldn't think of anything. It wasn't her strength and she didn't want to lie to him, his chances were high. She glanced away, looking at the mountains again. She could feel that he was scared. 42 times. The chances of him getting reaped were probably bigger than of him not getting reaped.

Suddenly Katniss twitched at the sound of something. She immediately knew that it was not anything natural. She touched Gale's arm to alarm him, but he already heard it too and looked around to find the source of the sound. Both got up and ran into the woods to hide somewhere, when she realized what it was, she recognized the sound. It was a hovercraft, made and also conducted by the Capitol.

Katniss started running as fast as she could and left Gale behind. She knew he would find a way to escape, going in different directions was the better solution. She ran, wind brushing through her hair that was falling out of her braid, branches hanging from trees brushed over her face and leaves started to get stuck in her hair. Her feet always found a steady path. The leather boots fit her foot perfectly, what allowed her more movement than in any other shoes. It was almost as if she wasn't wearing any shoes. She still heard the hovercraft, it was flying in her direction and it was flying really low. The closer it came, the more windy it got. Katniss recognized the area in which she was running, she knew exactly where she had to go. She turned sharp to her left and continued running, jumped over a fallen tree, that has been lying there for two years now and then she purposely fell and slipped under a big rock. The space between the rock and the ground was just big enough to fit a body under, and protecting it.

She was facing the ground, her face less than an inch away from the brown and orange leaves that covered the earth. She didn't move and she did not make any sound. Her arms pressed to her torso, she listened to the sounds of the hovercraft. It seemed like forever, but slowly the sounds got quieter until she couldn't hear them anymore. But instead of moving she stayed in her position, the hovercraft was gone but there could still be peacekeepers around. She wondered if the hovercraft even saw her or if they were just flying over the woods to go somewhere else. Suddenly she heard footsteps, but they were so soft and quiet that only a person that goes into the woods quite a lot could make them. Gale. Katniss crawled out of the space underneath the rock and saw Gale climbing over the fallen tree, walking towards her.

"Remember when you said the peacekeepers were too busy today?" She forced a small laugh and he smiled at her. He was the only one who she was comfortable laughing with.

"Happy Hunger Games," he said, exaggerating the ridiculous Capitol accent and laughed.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor," Katniss replied with a smile on her face. A split second later she grabbed an arrow, loaded the bow and shot it up in one of the trees. A squirrel fell out of the tree, the arrow stuck right in the eye. Gale lifted one of his eye brows and looked at Katniss, as if he wanted to ask, how?

"I saw it in the corner of my eye," she answered his unspoken question and started walking towards the animal. Gale followed her with his eyes, his glance full of love and almost a little admiration. She didn't notice it, and when she turned around with the squirrel in her hands, he quickly turned his head and looked at one of the trees, pretending he was looking for something to shoot.

"Katniss is that you?" Her mother asked when she opened the door. She didn't answer, instead she walked into the kitchen and placed the strawberries, cotton thread and other food that she gathered in the woods and bought at the Hob on the table in front of her mother.

"I have a dress for you to wear during the reaping," her mother said and got up. Katniss followed her into the small room that was living and bedroom in once. On the bed was a blue dress, it was one of the dresses her mother used to wear when she was younger, it was pretty but simple.

Katniss got dressed quickly and then her mother put her hair in two braids and then into a bun. Prim, her little sister, watched them. She looked at Katniss, admiring her bigger sister.

"I wish I looked like you," she said.

"You look pretty, Prim! But you have a little duck tail." Katniss smiled and tucked Prims shirt back into her skirt.

Katniss took Prim's hand and lead her to the section for the twelve year olds at the reaping. She kneeled down in front of her, tucked the shirt back into the skirt, and then lifted Prim's chin to look her into the eyes.

"They won't choose you Prim, your name is only in there once." Prim nodded slightly and raised a little smile. Deep down Katniss knew that she couldn't be sure that Prim was safe, and she would do anything to keep her little sister safe. She was only a child.

Katniss saw people walking on the stage, the Major and his wife, so she quickly walked to the section for the sixteen year old girls. She looked for Gale in the section for boys, but she couldn't find him.

"Welcome, Welcome!" The piercing voice of Effie Trinket, tribute escort and responsible for the reaping, resounded from every where on the square, speakers were built up in every corner. Katniss couldn't focus on what Effie was saying. When the Major was speaking, she was still looking for the back of Gale's head. What if he was the one who would have to go into the Games? She couldn't even think of that.

"May the Odds be ever in your Favor!" Effie almost screamed into her microphone. "Ladies First!" She walked over to the big glass bowl full of paper slips. On 24 of those was the name Katniss Everdeen, written neatly with black ink. Effies hand hovered over the paper slips awfully long, then, finally, she lowered her hand and grabbed one. With tiny steps she walked back to the middle of the stage.

"This is so exciting!" She shrieked. Then she unfolded the paper.

"The female tribute is," she flattened the paper, "Katniss Everdeen!"


End file.
